SEC Notebook: LSU finds itself in unusual situation

LSU won 18 consecutive regular-season games before last Saturday's 14-6 loss at Florida.

Now, the ninth-ranked Tigers could be facing a losing streak.

No. 3 South Carolina (6-0, 4-0) visits LSU (5-1, 1-1) on Saturday.

"Our football team is certainly stunned a little about the outcome," coach Tigers coach Les Miles said. "I think that you will find that our team will play their best in Tiger Stadium. It is an interesting thing, too, because for the first time in a year and a half we are talking about a regular-season loss, and it is miserable for us. Our football team is not enjoying it and certainly our coaching staff as well."

LSU's offensive line has been dealing with injuries all season and now faces a South Carolina pass rush that is fourth in the nation in sacks.

Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney has 6.5 sacks for the Gamecocks. Linemen Chaz Sutton and Aldrick Fordham have four and 3.5 sacks respectively.

LSU has its own pair of elite pass rushers in Barkevious Mingo and Sam Montgomery.

Because of each team's ability to rush off the edge, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said fans can expect to see plenty of running plays.

"If there's not a whole bunch of passing going on, sometimes those pass rushers don't get a chance to show their skills very much," Spurrier said.

Auburn is far behind Tide

The stats show how far Auburn, the 2010 national champion, has slipped behind its archrival, Alabama, the defending national champ and current No. 1 team in the country.

Auburn (1-4, 0-3) is last in the nation, 120th, in turnover margin (minus-11), 117th in scoring offense and 113th in total offense.

Alabama (5-0, 2-0) leads the country in the following categories: turnover margin (plus-12), total defense, scoring defense and pass efficiency defense.

Vols mindful of MSU secondary

Mississippi State has a knack for intercepting the ball, making its home game with Tennessee on Saturday even more intriguing. The Volunteers (3-2, 0-2) are a pass-first offense, but the 19th-ranked Bulldogs (5-0, 2-0) seem to match up well in the secondary. MSU has picked off nine passes this season, tying Alabama for best in the league.

"You don't get that many interceptions by luck," Tennessee coach Derek Dooley said.

Dooley is 3-15 in SEC play as Tennessee's coach. His job didn't get any easier when he endured right hip surgery on Tuesday to correct a fracture. He'll coach from the press box in Starkville.

Dooley said Monday his team remains focused, despite the pressure of the program needing some SEC success.

"They have never really been uptight or nervous," Dooley said. "But there comes a point where we are learning these lessons each week, let's convert them into some wins. We all know we need to do that. This is a good opportunity on the road against a good football team that has a lot of swagger right now."

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